I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 72Book 2: : Behind the Scenes

Vol 2 Chapter 72: Behind the Scenes

Zheng Fa walked through the market, making his final purchases before entering the Thunder Pool.

The information in the jade slips from Martial Uncle Pang was incredibly detailed. Some passages even carried Martial Uncle Pang’s distinct tone—clear evidence that the man hadn’t just been lazing around playing games. He had actually been to the Thunder Pool himself.

According to Martial Uncle Pang, the Thunder Pool was a place where the laws of heaven and earth had mutated.

In other words, it operated under different rules compared to the rest of the Xuanyi Realm.

From what Zheng Fa gathered in the jade slips, three key differences stood out:

First, the power of lightning-based techniques was greatly amplified, while all other techniques were significantly weakened. Martial Uncle Pang speculated that this was due to the Thunder Dao Monument, as he had observed through the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes that the spiritual energy around the Thunder Pool had distinct attributes.

However, this also made using lightning techniques far riskier. Among all talismans, lightning talismans were already the most unstable—and in the Thunder Pool, they were even more volatile.

One wrong move, and the heavenly lightning you summoned might just strike you down instead.

The last—and most troublesome—difference was how the Thunder Pool targeted divine sense.

As the jade slip described, the moment a divine sense above the Foundation Establishment stage was exposed in the Thunder Pool, it would immediately attract a lightning tribulation—essentially turning the cultivator into a human lightning rod.

Similarly, because spiritual energy contained traces of divine sense, using excessively powerful spiritual energy would also invite retribution.

As a result, high-level cultivators were significantly restricted within the Thunder Pool.

Martial Uncle Pang had summed it up in the jade slip:

"In the Thunder Pool, Golden Core and above cultivators may be restricted, but those below Foundation Establishment are in even greater danger… From my observations, only those who keep a low profile and conceal their strength can survive here for long."

Zheng Fa partially agreed.

With divine sense suppressed, the likelihood of ambushes increased dramatically, making it an ideal place for settling grudges.

On the other hand, the Thunder Pool acted like a fire extinguisher—whoever got too arrogant would get struck down.

For Zheng Fa, entering the Thunder Pool was merely a way to temper his body, so keeping a low profile was indeed the best approach.

His first priority was stocking up on essential pills.

He purchased:

Condensing Yuan Pills—to prepare for condensing his Yuan Talismans.

Fasting Pills—Zheng Fa rarely used these, but since the Thunder Pool had no spiritual grains, they were a necessity.

Qi Enhancement Pills—a type of Qi Refining-stage pill with a single function: providing spiritual energy and accelerating cultivation.

Buying Qi Enhancement Pills for training was considered a luxury in this era.

They weren’t exactly expensive—three pills for one spirit stone… Well, actually, that was expensive.

But as one of the wealthier Qi Refining disciples, Zheng Fa could afford it.

Over the past few months, he had multiple income streams: profits from selling talismans with Han Qi and the others, earnings from the drama performances, and his salary as a market steward. ṝ𝘼ɴꝊꞖËʂ

Even after deducting his cultivation expenses, he had saved up a little over a hundred spirit stones.

However, training with Qi Enhancement Pills required one pill per day, which meant a monthly cost of ten spirit stones.

Reluctantly, he bought a month’s supply, though the expense stung.

After purchasing the pills, Zheng Fa headed to Baibao Tower, a well-known artifact shop run by the Chongyue Sect, part of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

Chongyue Sect was one of the Nine Great Sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, famed for its artifact craftsmanship.

Of course, compared to other artifact shops, their prices were just as prestigious as their reputation…

On the first floor of Baibao Tower, a large open space had been cleared in the center.

Three small boats were displayed prominently.

A circle of cultivators had gathered around, pointing and discussing the boats with clear interest—but few were actually making a purchase.

The shop assistants stood nearby, smiling but saying nothing, seemingly unbothered by the lack of immediate buyers.

And they truly had no reason to worry.

These boats were called Dujie Boats, and they were an absolute bestseller in the Thunder Pool market.

Zheng Fa had come here specifically for one.

The Dujie Boat was a Yellow-Grade artifact.

In the Xuanyi Realm’s classification system, artifacts were ranked as Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with even higher tiers of Treasure Artifacts and Spirit Artifacts.

As a Yellow-Grade artifact, the Dujie Boat had only two basic functions:

Mobility—It provided a means of movement.

Defense—It offered some level of protection.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even worthy of being called the “little brother” of the legendary Five Dragon Heavenly Palace flying vessels.

However, it had one crucial advantage—it provided strong resistance to lightning techniques and could be operated by Qi Refining cultivators.

This made it incredibly valuable in the Thunder Pool market.

Naturally, its price had skyrocketed.

Zheng Fa had heard that in other markets, a Dujie Boat only cost around fifty spirit stones.

But here—seventy spirit stones!

Chongyue Sect was downright ruthless!

After buying his pills, Zheng Fa had exactly seventy spirit stones left.

His lifelong habit of frugality made him hesitate.

But in the end, his safety in the Thunder Pool was at stake.

Clenching his teeth, Zheng Fa made his decision.

Zheng Fa surveyed the surrounding cultivators but didn’t immediately make a purchase. Instead, he stepped outside the shop and found Senior Brother Yang, who was patrolling the market, to help him make the purchase on his behalf.

“Junior Brother, what’s this about?”

“Senior Brother, I’m only at the Qi Refining stage…”

Zheng Fa explained that he wanted to keep a low profile. Since Senior Brother Yang was at the Foundation Establishment stage, spending a few dozen spirit stones wouldn’t attract too much attention or trouble.

“Junior Brother, your temperament…” Senior Brother Yang paused, searching for a tactful way to put it. “It’s quite unlike Senior Sister Zhang.”

Zheng Fa mentally translated that:

You’re such a coward!

Not long after, Senior Brother Yang returned from Baibao Tower, having successfully purchased the Dujie Boat.

Zheng Fa saw with his own eyes how, when Yang first entered the shop, he had looked somewhat reluctant, as if he were doing an unnecessary favor.

Yet when he emerged, his face was beaming with joy.

A group of female cultivators had followed him out, stuffing sachets and handkerchiefs into his hands…

By the time he handed the Dujie Boat over to Zheng Fa, there was still a faint trace of fragrance clinging to his robes, and he had a dazed, goofy smile on his face.

“Junior Brother, if you ever have requests like this in the future, just come to me!”

Senior Brother Yang spoke eagerly.

“Senior Brother…” Zheng Fa glanced at the numerous sachets and handkerchiefs Yang was stashing away in his storage bag. After a moment of hesitation, he reminded him, “These women are only after your spirit stones. I fear their intentions may not be pure.”

“No worries, I wasn’t harboring good intentions either.” Senior Brother Yang waved a hand dismissively.

“…?”

“Besides, I don’t have money anyway!”

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but bow slightly in admiration. Unexpectedly, this Senior Brother seemed to possess a certain profound wisdom.

It wasn’t until he entered the Thunder Pool that Zheng Fa fully understood why the Dujie Boat was so popular.

In modern times, he had seen footage of shipwrecks—

Dark clouds blotting out the sky, raging winds stirring monstrous waves, and amid the chaos, humans struggling helplessly. Not only would one feel at the mercy of the storm, but also an overwhelming sense of solitude, as if they were the only person left in existence—adding an extra layer of despair.

Right now, Zheng Fa was seeing this exact scene with his own eyes.

The thunderclouds in the sky weighed heavily on his spirit.

Below the boat, surging waves crashed violently. Upon closer inspection, the white foam was actually flashes of lightning, while the blue torrents were rolling thunder serpents.

Without the Dujie Boat, Zheng Fa would have had to endure the full force of the relentless thunderbolts with his own body.

Although he had trained in the Five Thunder Talisman Body and possessed strong resistance, facing such an environment with just his flesh would drain his strength rapidly.

With the Dujie Boat, however, most of the lightning strikes were absorbed, significantly easing his burden.

For the first time, he felt that those seventy spirit stones were well spent.

Especially when he saw other cultivators struggling frantically to fend off lightning from all directions—he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

Following the map provided by Senior Sister Zhang, Zheng Fa navigated cautiously through the Thunder Pool.

His eyes shimmered with silver light as he used the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes to survey his surroundings.

At the first sign of conflict, he would steer clear—just as he had anticipated, skirmishes were frequent in the Thunder Pool, with fights breaking out everywhere.

After seven or eight days of traveling, he once again detected spiritual energy disturbances through the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes—another battle was taking place.

Zheng Fa was about to steer the Dujie Boat away.

But then, he noticed a few familiar silhouettes among the shadows.

His brows furrowed as he stared at them for a long time. Finally, he adjusted his course and moved in closer.

Just now, he had seen someone using Heavenly Demon Shadow Vanishing…

This was a signature technique of the Great Freedom Demon Sect—Zheng Fa had seen Lin Bufan use it before.

And it was precisely in a conflict with the Great Freedom Demon Sect that Senior Sister Zhang had gone missing.

Zheng Fa slowed his approach, using the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes to observe from a great distance.

Two groups were engaged in battle.

On one side were the ones using Heavenly Demon Shadow Vanishing—likely disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

On the other side was a lone cultivator from the Tianhe Sect.

Suspended in midair, he faced multiple opponents alone, yet he wore a faint, almost amused smile.

It was as if he didn’t care about the numerical disadvantage at all.

What caught Zheng Fa’s attention, however, was a third party—

Someone neither group had noticed.

A lone figure, lurking just outside their divine sense range, watching the fight unfold. Most of his focus was fixed on the disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

From the back, this person was also a familiar face—

A former Jiushan Sect true disciple.

A former undercover agent for the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

A personal favorite of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor—

Chen Ting.

Watching Chen Ting fixate on those demon sect disciples, clearly preparing to strike, Zheng Fa suddenly recalled Martial Uncle Pang’s teachings…

His master truly had an eye for talent.

One glance had been enough to see that Chen Ting had inherited the full essence of Martial Uncle Pang’s ways.

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At that thought, Zheng Fa settled down behind Chen Ting, waiting to see how things unfolded.

“The Great Freedom Demon Sect?” The Tianhe Sect disciple finally spoke. “You lot have been hiding like cowards for tens of thousands of years, and today you dare ambush me?”

“...We were pursuing another target, not ambushing you.”

The demon sect disciples exchanged glances, surprisingly offering an explanation.

Zheng Fa glanced at Chen Ting again.

“Doesn’t matter.” The Tianhe Sect disciple remained indifferent. “Today, I shall follow the example of our forebears—slay demons, eradicate evil, and cleanse the realm!”

With that, a broad sword materialized in his hand.

The demon sect disciples had no choice but to prepare for battle.

If there was one sect that had an unshakable vendetta against the demonic path, Tianhe Sect would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

Fighting them was practically a routine.

Zheng Fa noticed Chen Ting’s shoulders relax slightly, as if his plan to pit the two sides against each other had worked.

The broad sword in the Tianhe Sect disciple’s hands burst into a brilliant azure arc, soaring into the sky before descending straight toward the Great Freedom Demon Sect disciples.

Above their heads, a dark cloud of demonic energy emerged, within which a blurry demonic god stretched out its hands, attempting to block the attack.

But then—

The sword light abruptly changed direction—

And slashed straight toward Chen Ting.

“You dare try to ambush me, you lowly rat?”

The demonic god with raised arms looked a bit dumbfounded.

Chen Ting… looked even more dumbfounded.

Zheng Fa? Zheng Fa was already hiding further away.

The Xuanyi Realm sure had a lot of unexpected twists and turns.